facts rainforest
Rainforest Conservation – What is the big thing and how it affects me anyway?
lush green forests may be something that you have represented only briefly to dream of a tropical vacation, but did you know that the health of the world's tropical forests, has a huge influence on the quality of your daily life?
The rainforest is often described as the "lungs of our planet." The Amazon rainforest is solely responsible for the production of more 20 percent of the oxygen we breathe! As an added bonus, taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen for us to breath, the rainforest actually reduce greenhouse gases and combating global warming.
But unfortunately, we are losing land tropical forests to feed the hungry world's appetite for cheap timber and agriculture. Check out these statistics. You will not believe but are true!
- 54 of 193 countries in the world have already lost 90 percent or more of their forest cover. Tropical forests that once covered 14% of the earth's surface now cover only 6% and experts estimate that the last rainforests could disappear within 40 years.
- 1.5 acres of rainforest are lost every second (equivalent to 50 million hectares per year: an area roughly the size of Oregon)
- Almost half of the world's species of plants and animals will be destroyed or severely threatened over the next 25 years due to rainforest deforestation.
- We are losing approximately 137 plant and animal species every day due to deforestation tropical forest. That equates to 50,000 species a year!
- In the rainforest species disappear, so do many possible cures for diseases that threaten life. Currently, 121 drugs sold worldwide come from plant sources. Twenty-five percent of Western pharmaceuticals are derived from rainforest ingredients! Many more could be developed, since only about 1% of tropical trees and plants have been tested by scientists.
- Most rainforests are cleared by chainsaws, bulldozers and fire wood and then are followed by farming and ranching. In Indonesia, the total current rate of logging could destroy the forests in just 10 years. The forest has been completely disappear in countries like Haiti and Ivory Coast, where can hardly be a tree that is more.
Even worse is the fact that forests do not regenerate as our temperate forests of Vermont to do. Once gone, gone forever and with them the wonderful diversity of plants and animals that inhabit them.
So now you know why rainforests are a big problem, you may ask, "What the hell I can do about it?" Well, this is where comes in green consumerism daily when purchasing to make decisions that effect the health of the forest. It's true. Do you buy products made from soy, beef or wood, for example? If so, it is likely to originate in the jungle and are being produced illegally in violation of local conservation laws.
You can be part of the environment by purchasing products that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and green and come from managed forests sustainably. Ask the salespeople at your favorite stores, if their products are certified? Ask where they come from. You can get a few to stare first, but eventually you'll be making a difference. Store owners will increasingly realize that sustainability is important to their customers. If they are to remain in business, will have to go green.
And you can make it happen.
About the Author
Peggy Farabaugh owns and operates Vermont Woods Studios, an online furniture store specializing in high-quality, eco-friendly, handmade wood furniture from Vermont. Her education includes a BS degree in Chemistry, an MPH in environmental safety and health management and an MS degree in training and communications. Her background is in environmental health and safety education and training.
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Can someone please write some data on the importance of the rainforest biome?
Just the basics, you do not have to be very specific …. I just need a few things to help me start, in addition to the information we already have. 
The web sites that you think might help would be awesome too! Thanks.
Greengrass keeps low levels of CO2 to discover many uses and remedies for plants that are present (See Apprentice Shaman by Mark Plotkin) produce ~ 40% of the oxygen necessary http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/rainforest.htm http://ths Earth. sps.lane.edu/biomes/rain3/rain3.html
